1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to cameras provided with a distance measurement means for measuring the distance to an object, a sensitivity detecting means for detecting photographic sensitivity corresponding to the measured distance, and the like. More particularly, the present invention relates to photographic control provided during the operation of a flash device.
2. Description of the Related Art
In a conventional system for detecting the completion of a charging operation in a flash device, a neon lamp, a Zener diode or the like is employed to detect the charged voltage of the main capacitor in a flash device. In the conventional system, when the charged voltage reaches a predetermined value, it is determined that the charging operation is completed.
However, it has recently been pointed out that such a charging completion detecting system has a number of problems. For example, in the case of a camera having a built-in flash, a small battery must be used for charging purposes and a long charge time is required to charge the flash device. In the case of a camera which does not immediately reach its steady operating state, for example, an electronic camera having a disk drive, if the voltage of the battery falls to a great extent due to flash charging, a long time is required for the camera to reach a standby state after the completion of the charging operation. It is therefore necessary to prevent the charging current from becoming excessively large. However, as the charging current is reduced, the charging time increases thereby impairing a camera function, such as a continuous shooting operation.